1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operation apparatus and an operation apparatus control method, and, in particular, to a state transition destination determining method for a so-called reconfigurable operation device unit group for which a sequencer controls states of the operation device unit group so that operation processing contents carried out by the operation device unit group may be controlled, and to an operation apparatus including the reconfigurable operation device unit group carrying out the above-mentioned state transition destination determining method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an operation apparatus including such a reconfigurable operation device unit group, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2001-312481 discloses an array-type processor. In the art disclosed there, when a subsequent state of an operation device unit group is generated, a so-called CAM (context address memory) is used, and the subsequent state of the operation device unit group is determined by an output value of the CAM.
FIG. 1 shows this array-type processor. As shown, the array-type processor 1 includes a state transition management part to which an operation control bus 2103, an event notification bus 2104 and an external event bus 2107 are electrically connected; and a data path part 2102 in which a plurality of processor elements (PE) 2105 which carry out operation processing under control from the state transition management part 2101 and a plurality of programmable switch elements (PSE) 2106 carrying out electrical connection are electrically connected together so as to form a two-dimensional array. The above-mentioned state transition management part 2101 and the data path part 2102 are separately provided. The state transition management part 2101 acts as state transition means for managing transition of the operation state.
FIG. 3 shows an example of state transition written in a state transition table memory 2202 of the above-mentioned array-type processor, as shown in FIG. 2. This example of state transition is described next. First, according to FIG. 3, when a current state number 2204 is ST-01 (see FIG. 3), a subsequent state number 2205 is unconditionally determined as ST-02. In order to describe this state transition in the state transition table 2202, an entry is created in which the contents ‘current state number 2204 is ST-01; and subsequent state number 1107 is ST-02’ are written in the default state transition table 1102.
Upon actual operation, since no corresponding entry exists in an event state transition table 1101 when the current state number 2204 is ST-01, an event coincidence signal 1104 is not output, while the entry having the current state number 2204 of ST-01 is made effective in the default state transition table 1102 without fail, and the subsequent state number 1107 thus becomes ST-02, which is then output as the subsequent state number 2205.
Then, when the current state number is ST-02, a subsequent state number should become any one of ST-02, ST-03, ST-05 or ST-11 according to given conditions, as shown in FIG. 3. The state should be changed to ST-03 when an event EV-10 is input. In order to achieve this state transition, an entry is created in which ‘the contents current state number 2204 is ST-02; event identification code 2206 is EV-10; and subsequent state number 1106 is ST-03’ are written.
Similarly, the state should be changed to ST-05 when an event EV-18 is input. In order to achieve this state transition, an entry is created in which the contents ‘current state number 2204 is ST-02; event identification code 2206 is EV-18; and subsequent state number 1106 is ST-05’ are written. Similarly, the state should be changed to ST-11 when an event EV-21 is input. In order to achieve this state transition, an entry is created in which the contents ‘current state number 2204 is ST-02; event identification code 2206 is EV-21; and subsequent state number 1106 is ST-11’ are written. These entries are created in the event state transition table 1101 shown in FIG. 2.
In the other case, the state should be changed to ST-02, as shown in FIG. 3. In order to achieve this state transition, an entry is created in the default state transition table 1102 in which ‘current state number 2204 is ST-02; and subsequent state number 1107 is ST-02’ are written.
According to the table description described above, when EV-21 is input to an event identification code 2206 in a condition in which the current state number 2204 is ST-02, an entry coincident with a combination of these two is made effective in the event state transition table 1101. As a result, the entry having ST-11 lead thereto is made effective, and thus, ST-11 is output as the subsequent state number 2205. At this time, since coincidence has occurred in the event state transition table 1101, an event coincidence signal 1104 is output, and as a result, a subsequent sate number ST-02 lead from ST-02 (current state number 2204) in the default state transition table 1102 is discarded.
On the other hand, in the condition in which the current state number is ST-02 and none of EV-10, EV-18 and EV-21 is input to the event identification code 2206, no event coincidence signal 1104 is output, and as a result, the subsequent sate number ST-02 lead from ST-02 (current state number 2204) in the default state transition table 1102 is output therefrom as the subsequent state number 2205.
Further, in any of the above-mentioned cases, if IRQ-01 is input to a forcible event identification code 2210, ST-01 corresponding to IRQ-01 in a forcible state transition table 1103 is output as a subsequent state number 2205 (see FIG. 2). In this case, a forcible coincidence signal 1105 is output, and thereby, the output of the event state transition table 1101 and the output of the default state transition table 1102 are discarded, and only ST-01 of the subsequent state number 1109 from the forcible state transition table 1103 is made effective.